Rangers give Steven Naismith until last minute to prove his fitness for Old Firm clash

Rangers will give Steven Naismith until the last minute to prove his Old Firm fitness — but Walter Smith still rates him ‘very doubtful’ for tomorrow’s Ibrox showdown.

Off you go: Steven Naismith is taken off injured against Motherwell

The Scotland star suffered a minor hamstring problem in the win over Motherwell last Sunday, only hours after he walked away from a car crash on the M77 in Ayrshire.

Scans have revealed no significant tear but Kyle Lafferty and James Beattie are on standby to replace Naismith in Smith’s derby selection.

‘Steven is still very doubtful but we will give him as long as we can ahead of theCeltic game,’ the Rangers manager told Sportsmail yesterday.

‘He had an MRI scan and has not suffered a full tear to his hamstring. If he had, he would have had no chance. But he has suffered a strain.

‘Apart from the serious injury he had, Steven has been a quick healer in the past — so we’re still hoping he might make it.

‘Everyone is aware of the influence he’s had for us this season.’

Lafferty looks the most likely replacement if Naismith, who signed a new contract until 2015 only 10 days ago, sits it out against Neil Lennon’s league leaders.

Northern Ireland international Lafferty only missed one week’s training after surgery on a broken finger at the end of November and is desperate to play, although English striker Beattie also played in a bounce game against Morton last Wednesday.

‘Every footballer dreams of playing in an Old Firm game, especially in front of your own fans,’ Lafferty told Rangers’ website.

Ready for a battle: Rangers boss Walter Smith

‘We know it will be a really tough game. Celtic will be well up for it after losing the one in October and a few of their players now have some experience of playing in an OldFirm game.

‘It will be difficult and we know previous performances and results don’t count for anything in a game like this. It is all about who wants it more on the day.

‘I think the lads have been brilliant and you can see how hungry they are to win for each other.

‘We’ve had some good performances and I thought Vladimir Weiss was brilliant against Motherwell. We train with Vlad every day and we know what he is capable of. ‘It maybe took him two or three months to settle here but I think he can be a veryimportant player for us over the next five months.’

Smith, meanwhile, has insisted Rangers should not be tagged as favourites for tomorrow’s encounter, with some bookmakers having priced Celtic as big as 11/4 to triumph at Ibrox and open up a four-point lead over their rivals, who hold two games in hand.

Rangers were in impressive form when they thrashed Motherwell 4-1 in their lastouting on Boxing Day but Smith rejects the perception that they hold a significant advantage over their Glasgow neighbours.

Instead, he expects Celtic to improve as the raft of players drafted in by Lennon adapt to the specific demands of Old Firm life.

‘I’ve never felt comfortable with that tag in Old Firm games,’

said Smith, when asked about being regarded as favourites. ‘I don’t think there is such a thing. Regardless of the positions the clubs may be in, I always see itas straightforward. We’ve got a reasonably settled squad of players which we could be doing with adding to.

‘Celtic have a big squad of players but a lot of them are in their first year at the club. Italways takes a little bit of time to settle down here and gain the consistency a manager would want. That’s a natural thing to happen.

‘Both clubs had tremendous starts to the season and that was due to a long close-season. There was a freshness there with both clubs. We’ve both dropped points in recent weeks, but that’s only natural, too.

‘The league table is close right now, so I don’t know how anyone could pick Rangers out as being out-and-out favourites.

'There’s a bit to be played for this season yet. I don’t think there’s a great deal between the two teams at the moment.’

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Rangers give Steven Naismith until last minute to prove his fitness for Old Firm clash